Garry Monk brought defender with impressive bonus feature to Leeds United | OneFootball

FLW look back in time to when Garry Monk signed Kyle Bartley during his spell at Leeds United on loan from Swansea City.

Kyle Bartley’s loan spell at Leeds United during the 2016/17 season is remembered fondly by the Elland Road faithful, especially due to the volume of crucial goals he scored under Garry Monk.

Bartley spent just one memorable season at Elland Road but formed a formidable partnership at the back with Pontus Jansson, which became a duo that quickly were one of the most feared central defensive pairings in the Championship at Leeds.

Bartley began his career at Arsenal, a club renowned for producing technically sound players. However, first-team opportunities were scarce, leading him to seek out loan spells at Sheffield United and Rangers, where he impressed with his physicality and aerial prowess.

His performances in Scotland led to a permanent move to Swansea City in 2012, but with the Welsh club establishing themselves in the Premier League, competition for places was fierce there as well. Bartley became no stronger to a loan over the next few seasons, having found himself on the fringes of the first team, often playing a back-up role.

In 2016, he reunited with Garry Monk, who had worked with Bartley at Swansea, when the then Leeds manager made him a key target for the Championship side.

Kyle Bartley's impressive spell at Leeds United under Garry Monk

Bartley joined Leeds on loan from Swansea in the summer of 2016, eager for more consistent first-team football. Monk, looking to tighten up the defence after years of underachievement and mid-table finishes, saw Bartley’s experience and leadership qualities as essential to his plans.

Alongside Jansson, Leeds soon boasted one of the most solid defences in the Championship, with Rob Green in goal behind them forming a solid spine of the side. Monk’s system relied heavily on Bartley and Jansson's ability to win aerial duels and dominate physically by mopping up second balls, giving Leeds a platform to enact their counter-attacking style.

Bartley quickly became a fan favourite, captaining the side for much of the season in Liam Bridcutt's absence, and exuding a calm authority in both his defensive and leadership duties. They were organised, disciplined, and built around a strong defensive spine that included the man mountain Bartley.

The 4-2-3-1 system was designed to allow Bartley and Jansson to thrive in a defence-first approach, where they could impose themselves physically. The likes of Charlie Taylor, Luke Ayling, and Gaetano Berardi offered width as the full-backs, and their high energy allowed Bartley and Jansson to focus on staying compact and solid in central areas.

Bartley's aerial dominance was a crucial aspect of Leeds’ approach, particularly with Monk's side being well-drilled on set-pieces in both a defensive and attacking sense. Bartley and Jansson were major threats from dead-ball situations, alongside the star man in attack, Chris Wood.

Wood made most of the headlines that season after a 30-goal haul, with very few players scoring more than five times that season, but one to do so was Bartley. Leeds’ proficiency in this area became a defining feature of their success during the season, with both Wood and Bartley scoring frequently from corners and free-kicks.

Leeds fans celebrated the backline's chemistry both on and off the pitch, immortalising the quartet in the chant “Luke Ayling and Berardi, Pontus Jansson [and] Kyle Bartley” in a fitting tribute to their cult hero status. Bartley's contributions at the other end of the pitch were invaluable in particular.

Leeds were one of the most dangerous sides from set-pieces in the Championship that season, and Bartley was at the heart of that threat. At 6’4”, Bartley’s physical presence made him a nightmare for opposition defenders to mark, and he scored six goals over the course of the campaign, many from corners and free-kicks.

One of Bartley’s most memorable goals came in a crucial 1-0 win against Brentford in December 2016. Leeds were struggling to break down a resolute Brentford defence until Bartley rose highest to head home a Pablo Hernandez free-kick, rescuing valuable points for Monk’s side.

It was a goal that epitomised Leeds’ reliance on set pieces and Bartley’s ability to deliver in key moments. Other notable goals came in the 3-3 draw to Norwich City late in the season, as well as vital goals in 2-1 wins over Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley, where Bartley’s towering headers from corners and free-kicks helped Leeds secure points.

Kyle Bartley never made a permanent return to Leeds

At the end of the 2016/17 season, Leeds narrowly missed out on the play-offs, finishing seventh. Despite this disappointment, there was no doubt that Bartley had played a pivotal role in Leeds’ resurgence under Monk.

Bartley played 50 games for Leeds that term and captained the Sky Bet Championship side in the absence of usual skipper Bridcutt. It was arguably the best form of his whole career, and Jansson and Bartley would casually turn in close to 20 clearances a game between them.

The two tall, commanding centre-backs were dominating Leeds’ penalty area in an old-fashioned style, attacking the ball aggressively, and were both handy for a goal or two at the other end as well, with the knack for scoring from dead-ball situations making them key figures in Monk’s strategy, but also giving them cult-hero status among fans.

The club were keen to make Bartley’s loan move permanent, even after Monk left the club unexpectedly at the end of the season. Leeds’ interest in retaining Bartley remained high but Swansea were unwilling to part with the defender at that point, and Leeds’ pursuit ultimately ended in disappointment.

Bartley's performances that season were always likely to see him linked with a move to Leeds on a permanent basis over the coming seasons, with those links properly surfacing again at the end of the 2017/18 season, a little before Marcelo Bielsa was appointed, and whilst Paul Heckingbottom remained in charge as the season drew to a close with Leeds finishing 13th.

However, it wouldn't materialise when Bielsa arrived and told the club's hierarchy that he had the ball-playing centre-backs he needed at the club, with Jansson and newly-instated captain Liam Cooper. It meant Bartley’s time at Leeds may have been brief, but his impact on the club and its supporters was undeniable.

His solid defensive performances, leadership qualities, and goal threat made him a fan favourite, and despite not returning to Elland Road, he remains a cult figure to this day. His spell in West Yorkshire will always be remembered as a crucial chapter in Leeds' push for Premier League promotion, with Monk and co. setting the foundation for Bielsa to thrive at Elland Road.